plecostomus
Adventurer
My War Cleric asked me how his domain bonus action War Priest interacts with casting of spells. He did not pick the War Caster feat, so I'm trying to work out what this means for him. I feel I have gone down a rabbit hole. I want to check if I know what I'm talking about before I go back to him.
I am looking at the case where he uses a Magic Action to cast a spell with a Somatic component, and on the same turn uses his War Priest bonus action to attack with a weapon. I am mostly thinking about the Somatic component here, though I did notice a weird change for 5.5 Material Component rules (check notes under Material Components and Cleric Spellcasting).
Short version of the below: You should have picked War Caster.
Relevant sections of the 5.5 PHB
Somatic Components
A Somatic component is a forceful gesticulation or an intricate set of gestures. A spellcaster must use at least one of their hands to perform these movements.
Material Components
A Material component is a particular material used in a spell’s casting, as specified in parentheses in the Components entry. These materials aren’t consumed by the spell unless the spell’s description states otherwise. The spellcaster must have a hand free to access [Material components], but it can be the same hand used to perform Somatic components, if any.
If a spell doesn’t consume its materials and doesn’t specify a cost for them, a spellcaster can use a Component Pouch (see chapter 6) instead of providing the materials specified in the spell, or the spellcaster can substitute a Spellcasting Focus if the caster has a feature that allows that substitution. To use a Component Pouch, you must have a hand free to reach into it, and to use a Spellcasting Focus, you must hold it unless its description says otherwise (see chapter 6 for descriptions).
[My Notes]
Cleric Spellcasting
You can use a Holy Symbol as a Spellcasting Focus for your Cleric spells.
[My Notes]
War Caster Feat (relevant section)
You can perform the Somatic components of spells even when you have weapons or a Shield in one or both hands.
Attack Action
When you take the Attack action, you can make one attack roll with a weapon or an Unarmed Strike.
Equipping and Unequipping Weapons. You can either equip or unequip one weapon when you make an attack as part of this action. You do so either before or after the attack. If you equip a weapon before an attack, you don’t need to use it for that attack. Equipping a weapon includes drawing it from a sheath or picking it up. Unequipping a weapon includes sheathing, stowing, or dropping it.
Moving between Attacks. If you move on your turn and have a feature, such as Extra Attack, that gives you more than one attack as part of the Attack action, you can use some or all of that movement to move between those attacks.
[My Note]
Interacting with Things
You can interact with one object or feature of the environment for free, during either your move or action. For example, you could open a door during your move as you stride toward a foe.
If you want to interact with a second object, you need to take the Utilize action. Some magic items and other special objects always require an action to use, as stated in their descriptions.
The DM might require you to use an action for any of these activities when it needs special care or when it presents an unusual obstacle. For instance, the DM might require you to take the Utilize action to open a stuck door or turn a crank to lower a drawbridge.
[My Note]
Utilize Action
You normally interact with an object while doing something else, such as when you draw a sword as part of the Attack action. When an object requires an action for its use, you take the Utilize action.
War Priest Feature (from War Domain subclass)
As a Bonus Action, you can make one attack with a weapon or an Unarmed Strike. You can use this Bonus Action a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of once). You regain all expended uses when you finish a Short or Long Rest.
[My Note]
My War Cleric's Options for Somatic Spells + War Priest, without War Caster
I think his best bet is going to be always using War Priest first if he wants to use it on the same turn as a Magic Action, but he is still going to lose the ability to perform Opportunity Attacks with his weapon (he can still do them unarmed) until the next turn. Thoughts? Should I give him the Somatic feature of War Caster because he is a "War Cleric"?
I am looking at the case where he uses a Magic Action to cast a spell with a Somatic component, and on the same turn uses his War Priest bonus action to attack with a weapon. I am mostly thinking about the Somatic component here, though I did notice a weird change for 5.5 Material Component rules (check notes under Material Components and Cleric Spellcasting).
Short version of the below: You should have picked War Caster.
Relevant sections of the 5.5 PHB
Somatic Components
A Somatic component is a forceful gesticulation or an intricate set of gestures. A spellcaster must use at least one of their hands to perform these movements.
Material Components
A Material component is a particular material used in a spell’s casting, as specified in parentheses in the Components entry. These materials aren’t consumed by the spell unless the spell’s description states otherwise. The spellcaster must have a hand free to access [Material components], but it can be the same hand used to perform Somatic components, if any.
If a spell doesn’t consume its materials and doesn’t specify a cost for them, a spellcaster can use a Component Pouch (see chapter 6) instead of providing the materials specified in the spell, or the spellcaster can substitute a Spellcasting Focus if the caster has a feature that allows that substitution. To use a Component Pouch, you must have a hand free to reach into it, and to use a Spellcasting Focus, you must hold it unless its description says otherwise (see chapter 6 for descriptions).
[My Notes]
- The text specifying that a Spellcasting Focus can only be used in place of Component Pouch-compliant spells if there is a feature that allows the substitution is new.
- Under 2014 rules, the Material Components section reads: A character can use a component pouch or a spellcasting focus (found in chapter 5, “Equipment”) in place of the components specified for a spell.
Cleric Spellcasting
You can use a Holy Symbol as a Spellcasting Focus for your Cleric spells.
[My Notes]
- I don't see a feature in the base Cleric class that allows them to use a Spellcasting Focus in place of no-cost M components. Neither of the Divine Orders provide such a feature, nor does the War Domain subclass.
- RAW the 5.5 cleric must have a Component Pouch that is separate from their Holy Symbol, or use M components directly, even in cases where the M component is no-cost?
- Not sure which class does have such a feature described in 5.5.
- I am probably going to ignore this for my Cleric and let him use his Holy Symbol in place of no-cost M components, as in 2014.
- The types of holy symbols are Amulet (worn or held) / Emblem (borne on fabric or a Shield) / Reliquary (held).
War Caster Feat (relevant section)
You can perform the Somatic components of spells even when you have weapons or a Shield in one or both hands.
Attack Action
When you take the Attack action, you can make one attack roll with a weapon or an Unarmed Strike.
Equipping and Unequipping Weapons. You can either equip or unequip one weapon when you make an attack as part of this action. You do so either before or after the attack. If you equip a weapon before an attack, you don’t need to use it for that attack. Equipping a weapon includes drawing it from a sheath or picking it up. Unequipping a weapon includes sheathing, stowing, or dropping it.
Moving between Attacks. If you move on your turn and have a feature, such as Extra Attack, that gives you more than one attack as part of the Attack action, you can use some or all of that movement to move between those attacks.
[My Note]
- The Magic Action (used for casting spells with a cast time of 1 action) does not have an equivalent feature for equipping/unequipping weapons. However, see Interacting with Things.
Interacting with Things
You can interact with one object or feature of the environment for free, during either your move or action. For example, you could open a door during your move as you stride toward a foe.
If you want to interact with a second object, you need to take the Utilize action. Some magic items and other special objects always require an action to use, as stated in their descriptions.
The DM might require you to use an action for any of these activities when it needs special care or when it presents an unusual obstacle. For instance, the DM might require you to take the Utilize action to open a stuck door or turn a crank to lower a drawbridge.
[My Note]
- It's possible to interpret this as a second free interaction to equip/unequip on top of the Attack Action's equip/unequip freebie. The description of the Utilize action suggests the Attack Action is just an example of a free item interaction though, and not an additional one.
Utilize Action
You normally interact with an object while doing something else, such as when you draw a sword as part of the Attack action. When an object requires an action for its use, you take the Utilize action.
War Priest Feature (from War Domain subclass)
As a Bonus Action, you can make one attack with a weapon or an Unarmed Strike. You can use this Bonus Action a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of once). You regain all expended uses when you finish a Short or Long Rest.
[My Note]
- Under 2014 rules, the cleric is required to use the Attack Action before War Priest. That restriction is gone in 5.5, so I think interpretations should lean toward War Clerics are intended to be able to cast spells and use War Priest on the same turn.
- However, the 5.5 version also added that this attack may be an Unarmed Strike instead of a weapon attack.
My War Cleric's Options for Somatic Spells + War Priest, without War Caster
- He has his weapon + shield equipped on his first turn and uses his Attack Action followed by War Priest (or vice versa) on his first turn. No issues here.
He has his weapon + shield equipped on his first turn and uses War Priest first. Then he casts a spell with the Magic Action. The Interact With Things rule is interpreted to let him unequip his weapon during the Magic Action so he can perform the Somatic component.- He has the weapon unequipped between his turns (i.e. for Opportunity Attacks).
- Choose one of the following interpretations for his next turn:
- (1) He must use the Attack or Utilize Action to re-equip his weapon on his next turn.
- (2) Allow the War Priest bonus action to enable equipping like the Attack Action. (I think this interpretation is invalid due to the addition of the Unarmed Strikes to War Priest.)
- (3) Allow him to equip the weapon at the end of his Magic Action using the Interact With Things rule.
He has his weapon + shield equipped on his first turn and uses War Priest first. Then he casts a spell with the Magic Action. The Interact With Things rule is interpreted to let him unequip his shield during the Magic Action so he can perform the Somatic component.- This only works with the emblem (borne on fabric version) or amulet (worn version) holy symbol.
- He has his shield unequipped between his turns (-2 AC for a base shield).
- For next turn, see options under #2 above. The Attack Action only specifies equipping/unequipping weapons, so you could require the Utilize Action if you are following the 1st option.
He has his weapon + shield equipped on his first turn and casts a spell with the Magic Action, then uses War Priest. The Interact With Things rule is interpreted to let him unequip his weapon during the Magic Action so he can perform the Somatic component.- Choose one of the following interpretations for War Priest:
- (1) Allow the War Priest bonus action to enable equipping like the Attack Action. (I think this interpretation is invalid due to the addition of the Unarmed Strike attack to War Priest.)
- (2) He must use an Unarmed Strike for War Priest on this turn.
- For next turn if he's unarmed, see options under #2 above.
- Choose one of the following interpretations for War Priest:
He has his weapon + shield equipped on his first turn and casts a spell with the Magic Action, then uses War Priest. The Interact With Things rule is interpreted to let him unequip his shield during the Magic Action so he can perform the Somatic component.- This only works with the emblem (borne on fabric version) or amulet (worn version) holy symbol.
- Choose one of the following interpretations for War Priest:
- (1) Allow the War Priest bonus action to enable equipping like the Attack Action. (With additional interpretation that Attack Action equipping/unequipping can apply to shields.) (I think this interpretation is invalid due to the addition of the Unarmed Strike attack to War Priest.)
- (2) He cannot re-equip his shield until his next turn (-2 AC for a base shield).
- On his next turn, either Interact With Things rule is used to let him re-equip the shield at the end of his Magic Action, or he must use the Attack/Utilize Action to re-equip his shield.
I think his best bet is going to be always using War Priest first if he wants to use it on the same turn as a Magic Action, but he is still going to lose the ability to perform Opportunity Attacks with his weapon (he can still do them unarmed) until the next turn. Thoughts? Should I give him the Somatic feature of War Caster because he is a "War Cleric"?
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